Aquaculture in Africa: Aquatic Animal Welfare, Impact on the Environment and the Sustainability of the Sector

The African aquaculture sector recorded the fastest growth in the world between 2006-2018, averaging 10% or more, and is expected to partially fill the growing fish supply-demand gap up to 2063. In 2018, there were about 1.2 million aquafarmers across the continent, an increase from 920 thousand in 2014. According to the African Development Bank, expansion of aquaculture in Africa is hampered by the overwhelming predominance of tilapia farming, which relies heavily on the production of fingerlings from a limited number of genetically improved strains that are resistant to the many diseases affecting this species, and on the production of feed that is still largely imported . The Bank cited projections that African aquaculture would grow far more dramatically if it rapidly diversified, rather than remaining dominated by tilapia farming. The review also noted that the sector now generates products not only for direct consumption, but also used in food processing, feed, fuels, cosmetics, nutraceuticals, pharmaceuticals, and a variety of other industrial products